berries f vaccinium vitis uJcea), cranberries (vaccinium oxycoccas). Of
these the vaccinium vitis idcea is the only one used by the Swedes.
They boil it up with water and sugar, and serve it up at dinner as a
seasoner o f their meat; for sweet sauces are very much relished in
Sweden, and are used for a great variety of dishes. I was struck with
the similarity between the Swedish and English or Scotch names of
some of these berries. The empetrum nigrum is called in English
crowberry, and in Swedish krokbarr, which has the same meaning.
The vaccinium myrtillus, is called in Scotland blaeberry, and in
Sweden bloobarr, which has the same meaning, and almost the same
sound. I do not recollect to have seen any specimens of the common
bramble in Sweden, though I have no doubt that the plant exists in
that country. I saw gooseberry bushes growing wild in several places,
but they were destitute o f fruit. The wood strawberry was likewise
very common.
As our object was to travel as little as possible in the dark, that we
might lose no part of the country, we stopti for the night at Karra,
our third stage, and distant from Gottenburg 4-L Swedish, or 30 English
miles. The house where we stopped was a cottage; but we were
furnished with a room for ourselves, containing two beds, and we got
for supper milk, eggs, ham, and rye bread.
The Swedish beds are very different from those in Great Britain.
The bedstead is a rectangular frame, just sufficient to hold one individual,
and without curtains; though in some rare instances they are
provided with curtains similar to those of a tent bed. The bottom of
the bed is canvas; upon this is placed a feather bed, and a very large
bolster and pillow, over these are spread the sheets, and a thick but
very light coverlet completes the bedding. There are no blankets to
be seen in Sweden; nothing but a single coverlet laid over each bed:
this coverlet is of double calico, with a considerable quantity of wool
quilted in i t : it is nearly half an inch thick, and very light and comfortable
: the only objection to it is that when it gets dirty it must be
impossible to wash it without taking it to pieces: on that account I
presume it is always o f a dark colour, and I never observed it quite
clean. There are usually two o f these small beds in the rooms o f their
posting-houses, one having the appearance o f a bed, the other o f a
chest. The chest-bed contains the pillow and bolster of the other bed,
and the lid being opened it assumes the appearance o f a bed, and
is in every respect as good as the other, except that it is not quite
so wide.
The appearance of the Swedish peasantry is very striking to a native
o f Great Britain, who is accustomed to so great a diversity in the
features o f the people with whom he associates. The Swedes have all
light flaxy hair, and a ruddy countenance. I would say that a certain
degree of flabbiness is visible in their complexions. There is nothing to
be seen which indicates the existence of the more violent passions; but
every one expresses a docility and good humour in his face, which I
believe all possess, almost to a man. I have often gone into a Swedish
cottage in the middle of the night, where the whole family, to the
number of six or eight, were asleep in different beds; awakened the
whole family, and sent the hollenkarr to ramble through the woods in
the dark, to a distance of three or four miles, in quest o f horses. The
family were made to get up, and kept out o f bed perhaps for two or
three hours. All the while they preserved the most perfect good humour,
never attempted to persuade you to stop all night, nor seemed
to feel the inconvience t® which they were put. The scarcity of copper
on the road was so great that it was sometimes impossible to give
the post-boy the sum which he considered as his due. In these cases he
continued to request you to remember him with the most perfect good
humour and politeness, and never attempted to abuse you as an English
coachman would have done in a similar case. On one occasion I offered
a post-boy a skilling banco, which was all the copper money I had in
my possession: he returned it to me again, with the greatest good humour,
and when I gave it to a boy that was standing beside him he
seemed quite delighted with the joke.
The peasants in Sweden seem to be a most amiable and innocent
race. Most o f them can read and write: they are all clean and well
dressed in coarse blue cloth, manufactured in Sweden. I do not